Jonathan Walton, Linebacker
Visited Auburn and will choose between the Tigers and South Carolina

AUBURN, Alabama – Some left on their own. Some were shown they didn't really fit in the new coaching schemes.

Whatever the case, new Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has spent the last seven weeks reshaping the Tigers' recruiting class, so much so that nine players who had committed to Gene Chizik's old staff are gone, four players who had committed to other SEC schools have stepped in and another player was committed to a Big 12 school says he'll sign with Auburn on Wednesday.

Flipping? Like dolphins.

Auburn hopes this final recruiting weekend on campus will fill the gap. This weekend's visitor list includes up to five 5-star visitors who can give the school a big finish.

Auburn had 19 commitments on the day Chizik was fired. It has that many now in a class reshaped with junior college transfers and high school hopefuls. Malzahn has lost players to other schools, true enough, but he has raided schools, too. He persuaded, for example, high school teammates and fellow wide receiver Tony Stevens and Dominic Walker to flip from Texas A&M and Nebraska, respectively.

The Tigers figure to sign around 25, though could sign a few more since two junior college signees will count back to next year's class.

Malzahn's initial weeks saw players drop off the recruiting rolls. But it wasn't just players defecting. Malzahn hinted some of the moves were best for all.

"It works both ways: Is it a good fit for us? Is it a good fit for them? Right now, we're just trying to develop relationships," Malzahn said in a radio interview in December.

Malzahn has unapologetically turned to junior college players to fill the gap in the signing class after watching last year's team finish with a 3-9 record. Malzahn has five junior college players so far this recruiting season, and could add another.

"We need to shore up some areas, ASAP," he said.

Perhaps the biggest name to decommit was five-star linebacker Reuben Foster from nearby Auburn High School. But he could recommit to Auburn on Monday, as long as he doesn't choose Alabama or Georgia.

Muscle Shoals defensive tackle Dee Liner decommitted, and he's not coming back. That was a headliner. But a couple of defensive backs were not re-recruited by the new coaching staff. A tight end was informed he might find more playing time outside of Malzahn's fast-paced offense, and the Tigers are unlikely to sign anyone at that position. Auburn moved in a different direction at running back, and is making a push at players who have either decommitted from other schools, or players who the Tigers are trying to flip.

Auburn has a junior college transfer tailback already in school in Cameron Artis-Payne, but will try to sign one, if not two more tailbacks for a position that is woefully thin. One or more could be Cornelius Elder, Notre Dame commit Tarean Folston or former Vandy commit Johnathan Ford.

Players who have flipped to Auburn

Ben Bradley

Defensive lineman

Hutchinson Community College, Kansas

Decommitted from Tennessee after Derek Dooley was fired. He reopened his recruitment and chose Auburn on Jan. 7. Two of his junior college teammates did as well.

Destination: Enrolled at Auburn

Kenny Flowers

Linebacker

Hutchinson Community College, Kansas

Originally committed with Texas A&M, he switched to Auburn on Jan. 25. He's joining Hutchinson teammates Devonte Danzey and Ben Bradley at Auburn.

Likely destination: Auburn

Khari Harding

Safety

Santa Fe High School, Edmond, Okla.

Flipped from Arkansas to Auburn on Jan. 20. Two Auburn coaches knew him well: Running backs coach Tim Horton when he was at Arkansas and head coach Gus Malzahn, who recruited while at Arkansas State. Harding had a relationship with Auburn recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner from his days at Georgia.

Likely destination: Auburn

Tony Stevens

Wide receiver

Evans High School, Orlando

Flipped from Texas A&M to Auburn on Jan. 20 after recruiting trip to the Plain. Five days later, high school teammate and fellow receiver Dominic Walker flipped from Nebraska to the Tigers.

Likely destination: Auburn

Dominic Walker

Wide receiver

Evans High School, Orlando

Flipped from Nebraska to Auburn and is set to play with incoming high school teammate Tony Stevens, who flipped from Texas A&M.

Likely destination: Auburn

Players who have decommitted

Jarrad Davis

Linebacker

Camden County High, Kingsland, Ga.

Davis decided to flip his commitment to Florida on Dec. 15, shortly after Gus Malzahn was hired.

Likely destination: Florida

Reuben Foster

Linebacker

Auburn High

Decommitted, but Auburn remains a major player in the race for the linebacker, one of the nation’s top prospects.

Likely destination; Auburn, Alabama, Georgia

Jahmere Irvin-Sills

Cornerback

Eastern Christian Academy, Bear, Del.

Irvin-Sills de-committed after the Tigers revamped their recruiting efforts at defensive back.

Likely destination: Mississippi State, Clemson, Tennessee

Arshad Jackson

Tight End

Lovejoy High, Hampton, Ga.

Jackson was recruited when the Tigers still ran a Scot Loeffler offense designed to incorporate multiple tight ends, but Auburn hasn’t heavily pursued any tight ends since Malzahn’s staff took over.

Likely destination: Florida State, Ole Miss

Lemond Johnson

Safety

Cooper City High, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Johnson, another player who Auburn decided not to pursue after the shift in defensive backs, enrolled early at Tennessee to play with former Gene Chizik assistants Tommy Thigpen and Willie Martinez.

Destination: Enrolled at Tennessee

Trey Johnson

Linebacker

Central Gwinnett High, Lawrenceville, Ga.

Johnson was the first Chizik commitment to make the decision to look elsewhere on Nov. 27.

Likely destination: Ohio State

Dee Liner

Defensive tackle

Muscle Shoals High School

The Tigers stuck with him during a couple of arrests last year, but he decommitted on Jan. 14.

Likely destination: Alabama or Georgia.

Jordan Wilkins

Running back

St. Benedict High, Cordova, Tenn.

Wilkins committed to the Tigers in July and decommitted Jan. 20 after Auburn had pulled off of its recruitment.

Likely destination: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee or Vanderbilt.

JaQuay Williams

Wide receiver

Fork Union (Va.) Military

Williams originally signed with Auburn as part of the 2012 signing class, but failed to qualify. He reopened his recruitment after a season at a prep school